Despite the scientists' best effort to scrub off CO2 from the skies, existing carbon-capture technologies remain too expensive to be practical. Researchers at the Argonne National Laboratory have developed a more cost-effective form of carbon capture -- an artificial leaf.
The artificial leaf mimics photosynthesis. While plant uses the sun's energy to transform water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen, the artificial leaf uses the sun's energy to transform carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide.
Like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, but unlike carbon dioxide, it can be made into a burnable fuel.
The fuel from the artificial leaf is effectively carbon neutral. It recycles atmospheric carbon, unlike petroleum, which is comprised of carbon that was previously buried underground.
The artificial leaf is cheap and efficient due to the low cost of the catalyst. While plants use an enzyme to catalyze photosynthesis, the artificial leaf uses a tiny flakes of a tungsten-based compound. And tungsten is significantly cheaper.
If the artificial leaf could be made to produce synthetic gas for the cost of gasoline, this will definitely make a big help not only for cleaning the atmosphere but also for instant fuels.
Researchers say the technology could even be deployed on future mission to Mars, relying on the Red Planet's CO2-rich atmosphere.
Source: Popular Science
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